Dollar General: The New Retail Villain
- Josh Stephens
- Feb 25, 2019
- 7 min read
Since 2012, the number of Dollar General stores in California has increased from zero to 215, as the discount retail chain has moved into urban areas and small towns alike. While in many cases Dollar General stores have blended uneventfully into their respective landscapes, on commercial strips and in urban communities, some Californians are treating Dollar General’s expansion like Sherman’s March to the Sea.
It’s a trend that already swept the South, where the brand is ubiquitous and the market saturated. In recent years, the Tennessee-based company has expanded nationwide to over 15,000 stores, with roughly 900 stores added in 2018. By some measure, there are now more Dollar General locations than there are McDonald’s or Starbucks stores. The chain has expanded in part because its typical store covers only 9,100 interior feet — compared to upwards of 100,000 square feet for a Walmart – meaning that it can move into almost any building or storefront.
“I see them popping up all over the county,” said Lakeport Mayor Tim Barnes, who personally opposed the development of a Dollar General in Lakeport. “From what I understand they like to pop up in small communities in depressed markets.”
On a per-capita basis, the chain is still grossly under-represented in California. Stakeholders in some towns have tried to keep it that way.
